AC blows cool but never cold in the afternoon, what did you do about yours?

[darianlane]

Every summer I tell myself the AC is fine, and every summer around August it proves me wrong. My 2016 Infiniti QX50 has about 93,000 km, and this year the AC is only cool in the morning. After lunch, when the sun is hitting the car, the air from the vents is barely cold, and the fan seems to be working hard for nothing. Two days ago I also noticed a faint smell, a bit like a wet cloth, when I first turn it on. My wife said it smells like an old gym bag, which was not nice to hear. Another thing is that sometimes I hear a short clicking from the front of the car when the AC starts, then it goes quiet. My friend says it just needs gas and that every car loses some each year. My brother in law says if it loses gas then there is a leak and filling it again is like putting water in a bucket with a hole. Both sound possible, but I have no idea which one is true. I read a page on last night to understand how the system works, and I learned that weak cooling can come from low gas, a dirty cabin filter, a weak compressor or even a fan that is not running properly, so it is not always one simple thing. The smell part made sense too, because it said moisture and dust can build up inside. Since I cannot be without the car for long because of work, I started looking into Quick Infiniti AC repair in ICAD, because the area is close to my office and I would like to drop the car off and get it back the same day. My questions are simple. Did anyone here change only the gas and the AC became cold again for a long time? How do they find a leak, do they use a special light or a pressure test? Is the cabin filter something I can change myself, or is it better to let them do it? And how much did you pay, roughly, for a full check? I would love to hear your stories. Thanks for reading.